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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575389">Hardcore Life (Ph1LzA Fanfic)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damon_Baird/pseuds/Damon_Baird'>Damon_Baird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Real Person Fiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:14:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,781</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575389</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Damon_Baird/pseuds/Damon_Baird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia Day, a Minecraft YouTuber and Twitch streamer going by the screenname RedztoneCraftz, became well known among the MCYT community for her redstone work within her Hardcore worlds on Minecraft. She incorporates most of her redstone work onto any multiplayer Minecraft world she plays on, gaining the attention of one of her reoccurring collaberators, Ph1LzA.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Drunken Birthday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I was quick to start my stream, making sure to give a three minute countdown. I did my usual workout to stretch my muscles, and I made sure I had a few different beverages at my desk. Once I sat down and put my headset on, there was a little under a minute left on the countdown. I smiled like a child as I placed the handcrafted paper crown on my head as the clock hit twenty seconds. I positioned my microphone correctly and effortlessly made the music fade out as I switched to my 'Just Chatting' screen.</p><p>"Hello there, Twitch chat!" I cheered, smiling. "Welcome to my birthday stream! I'm not entirely sure what we'll be doing today or who exactly will be joining us. I know Tommy wanted to drop in and sing Happy Birthday later, so that might happen on stream or after. Not entirely sure."</p><p>I looked over at my second monitor, where I had the stream chat pulled up. I saw a lot of variations of birthday wishes scrolling by. A few of the names were regular viewers of my streams, making it easy to identify them.</p><p>"Oh, I saw that!" I laughed, pointing in the direction my chat relay was on my stream. "One of you little jerks decided to say my crown looks horrible. I'll have you know I made this thing myself!"</p><p>Chat went wild with emotes and other random messages as I angrily crossed my arms. I heard the sound of someone joining the discord call I was in, having been in one of the voice chats within my Discord server that any of my recording friends could join, and I saw that it was Phil who had joined.</p><p>"Philza?" I raised an eyebrow at the silence.</p><p>"Sorry." His voice was groggy, and he sniffled as if he had been crying. "Just wanted to stop by and say Happy Birthday. Was it bad timing?"</p><p>"Not at all, Mate. You doing alright?"</p><p>"Nothing I can really talk about on stream. You are live, aren't you?"</p><p>"Yeah, but I can take a few minutes to talk to you if you need it."</p><p>"Give me a few minutes to calm down, please?"</p><p>"Sure, Phil."</p><p>He left the call, and I cleared my throat as I looked at chat. I gave a small smile, knowing that nothing good had happened to Phil if he had been crying and didn't want to talk about it on stream.</p><p>"How about we scroll through my Twitter? I believe a lot of you caught on to the Redz Birthday tag. Let's see what's been posted." I said, switching screens once more to show my desktop.</p><p>A lot of the art I looked at was either hastily done, given immense effort, or done with such talent that I ended up liking a lot of it. Several minutes passed before I got a message from Phil, and I very quickly apologized to my chat before changing my screen to the intermission scene and muting myself. I grabbed my phone and very easily dialed Phil's number, not caring about the long distance cost I would be having to pay later. I put him on speaker as soon as he answered the call.</p><p>"What's going on, Phil?" I asked.</p><p>"Kristen and I have had a bit of falling out." He explained.</p><p>"Falling out?" I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning you two broke up?"</p><p>"Yeah. We had a bit of an argument, and we decided to take a break."</p><p>"Have you been drinking at all?"</p><p>"I've had a few shots. I haven't really done much."</p><p>"Would you like a distraction?"</p><p>"I don't want to ruin your birthday stream with my mood."</p><p>"Oh, come on, Phil! You'll cheer up if you have some fun. We could play some Rocket League or something."</p><p>"You're no good at Rocket League."</p><p>"Doesn't mean I won't play it."</p><p>He chuckled, the connection crackling. "Alright."</p><p>"Great! I'll give you some time to fully chill out, and I'll get some teammates!"</p><p>"It's really hard to be upset when I'm talking to you, you know?"</p><p>"I have no idea what you mean! Talk to you in a bit!"</p><p>The last I heard during the call was his laughter as I hung up. I easily got back into my streamer persona, unmuting my mic and turning the music off as I switched screens.</p><p>"Alright, Chat! Plan for now is to play some Rocket League with Phil and whoever else decides to join us! Might play with some of our subscribers, might not. I don't really know what all Phil is up for today." I said. "He should join in a few minutes, so if he shows up while I'm off at the bathroom or something, don't mind him."</p><p>I continued scrolling through Twitter, being joined by Wilbur and Phil at the same time. I had to rip my headset off as both of them screamed Happy Birthday, and I could hear them both laughing as I put my headset back on.</p><p>"Alright, alright! It's funny to make the birthday girl jump!" I mumbled. "Will, are you joining us for Rocket League?"</p><p>"I can join for a bit, sure."</p><p>"Cool!"</p><p>As I waited for the game to start, I muted myself to interact with chat. I glanced at my phone as the screen lit up, noticing I had a new snapchat notification from Phil. I unmuted my microphone to jump back into the conversation the men were having as I grabbed my phone to open the messages. I had a difficult time keeping a straight face at the selfie of Phil holding up a partially empty beer bottle, the goofy smile on his face contradicting the tear stains on his cheeks.</p><p>"I feel like drinking today." I muttered.</p><p>"Oh? Why's that?" Wilbur asked.</p><p>"Because I'm an adult, and it's my birthday. I'll have a fucking drink if I want to, Wilbur!" I replied as I took my headset off and walked away from my computer.</p><p>It took me a few minutes to grab the alcohol I wanted, grabbing a few bottles of Coca-Cola on the way back to my room. As I sat down and placed the drinks on my desk, I could only slightly hear the men talking. Phil was telling Wilbur, and I assumed all of our streams if he and Wilbur were also streaming, about what had happened between him and Kristen. My chat was going absolutely wild. In complete silence, I put my headset on and continued to stay muted. As Phil continued to talk, I pulled his stream up on my second monitor. I unmuted myself just as both men were silent.</p><p>"Phil, give me a random number." I said.</p><p>"Uh.....One hundred and seventy two?" He replied.</p><p>"That's a good one."</p><p>Watching his stream made it where I was able to see his look of confusion, and I had to keep myself from laughing as I clicked the confirm payment button. I poured myself a mixed shot of my alcohol of choice and Coke, raising it as if toasting to Phil as the notification for what I had done appeared on his stream.</p><p>"One hundred and seventy two gifted subs?" His eyes went wide. "Are you fucking mental?"</p><p>"I believe that I am becoming absolutely mental to a certain degree, yes." I took the shot after speaking, and Wilbur's laughter filled my ears.</p><p>"I'm refunding that!"</p><p>"The fuck you aren't!" I had to be careful not to break my shot glass as I slammed it down on my desk. "I'll lock my card so I can't get money back!"</p><p>"But that's so much money!"</p><p>"Who cares? I'm a full time streamer for both Twitch and YouTube, Phil. I can get the money back."</p><p>Phil scoffed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly before taking a long drink of whatever was in his water bottle. The three of us got into playing Rocket League, cursing at each other over mess ups and cheering loudly whenever we scored goals. Others would occasionally join the Discord call to wish me a happy birthday or to see what we were up to.</p><p>"I'm hungry." Wilbur complained.</p><p>"So go get food!" I leaned back in my chair, my phone in my hand.</p><p>"There's nothing here."</p><p>"So order something to be delivered."</p><p>"I could do that."</p><p>"I'm ordering pizza." I said.</p><p>"Pizza sounds fucking delicious." Phil made an odd moaning sound both before and after he spoke.</p><p>"Please never make those sounds again." I put my head back to avoid seeing the wild messages from my chat. "At least, don't do it while I'm live."</p><p>"Are you horny now, Redz?" Wilbur asked rather nonchalantly.</p><p>"I swear to god, Wilbur, I will hunt you down and kill you just for that." I ran my hand through my hair as his laughter filled the voice call.</p><p>I looked at my second monitor to see that my chat had been put into emote only mode by my moderators, and Phil's stream was still pulled up behind it. He was taking another long drink from his water bottle, and the look he made when he lowered it made me blush.</p><p>"To get you to forgive me for that comment a tiny bit faster, I'll pay for your pizza." Wilbur said, a notification for him donating sixty nine subs to me showing up seconds later.</p><p>"Are you honestly that intoxicated?" I raised an eyebrow.</p><p>He laughed. "Not at all."</p><p>I pulled my microphone closer to my mouth. "Thank you for the sixty nine gifted subs, Wilbur Soot."</p><p>Phil's laughter made me smile, and I watched his stream as he slapped his knee.</p><p>"Sorry to cut the stream short, guys, but as it is my birthday, and I have been streaming for nearly three hours, I'd like to have some time off camera." I said, clapping my hands. "Phil and Wilbur are most likely going to continue streaming. Don't hold me to that. If you want to keep seeing our shenanigans, go to one of them. I'm going to be raiding big man Phil. Before that, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who donated, and thank you for all of the subs and bits. Also a big thank you for all of the birthday wishes and all of the art you've drawn for me. I wouldn't have spent my birthday in any other way! Thanks for coming around to my stream! Don't leave your redstone running when you leave your base chunks, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Redz out!"</p><p>I winked at the camera and ended my stream by raiding Phil.</p><p>"Thanks for the raid, Redz!" Phil chuckled.</p><p>"You're welcome, mate." I took a quick shot.</p><p>We got back into playing Rocket League, eventually switching to playing on Hypixel. Phil and I decided to start playing Skyblock while Wilbur decided he was going to play Bed Wars in his drunken state. The call consisted of more cursing and incoherent screaming, and anyone who joined would have to yell over us and would immediately leave after getting our attention.</p><p>"Alright! I'm going to call it here and go to bed!" Wilbur said. "I'm gonna mute and talk to chat. Thanks for the entertainment, Phil and Redz!"</p><p>"Thanks for the fun, Will!" Phil and I replied.</p><p>He left the voice chat, leaving me and Phil alone. I looked at my phone, deciding to scroll through my reddit page.</p><p>"Phil, did you know that I have a flight planned out of the country?" I asked.</p><p>"Oh?" He questioned. "Out of the country as in-?"</p><p>"No longer being in the United States, yes."</p><p>"Where are you going to be heading to?"</p><p>"England."</p><p>"Is that so?"</p><p>"Yeah. Particularly the New Castle and Brighton areas."</p><p>He chuckled. "And where do you think you'll be staying during this trip?"</p><p>"A hotel, of course."</p><p>The simple comment caused him to burst out laughing. I raised my eyebrows as he muted himself, and I watched his stream as he ended it. Once his stream was ended, he unmuted himself and cleared his throat.</p><p>"So you're actually coming here?" He asked.</p><p>"If the world doesn't completely shut itself down, yes." I replied. "I'll probably stay with Will so I can bring my computer in case I can't get back home."</p><p>"Or you could stay here with me." Phil cleared his throat as he spoke.</p><p>"Are you sure that's something you want?" I asked. "I'm just about as wild as Wilbur."</p><p>"If you're going to get stuck here, you'd need a place that isn't as weird as Wilbur's place is. Have you heard the conversations we've had before?"</p><p>"I've heard, yeah. I don't want to intrude on your personal space, and I honestly don't want to be accused of 'making a move on you' only a short time after your relationship ended." I stretched as I spoke.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Off To England</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"It's been all of a month since you and Kristen broke up, and I have already seen so many ship artwork of us. It's absolutely nuts."</p><p>"It's getting slightly out of hand, I'll be honest."</p><p>"A lot of it is actually cute and well made, but some of it just needs to not exist."</p><p>Phil and I were streaming more Skyblock together, mostly because it was going to be a rather quick stream for me before I headed to the airport for my flight. As the conversation continued, my chat was filled with both praise for expressing my emotions and some concerning anger.</p><p>"Be as mad as you want about it, Chat. Phil is a very close friend of mine, and I love how our friendship currently is. If anything develops out of it, it's going to be our choice to pursue it. You can't pressure me into doing anything just because you ship us and draw hundreds of things to try and get our attention. That's not how it works." I said, shrugging.</p><p>"I'll second that." Phil chuckled.</p><p>"Now, I'm sorry to say this, but I have to end stream. It's been a fun four hours, but I've got a flight to catch. I'll be raiding Phil, as usual. I'm sure he'll be going to his hardcore world." I clapped. "Don't leave your redstone running when you leave your base chunks, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Redz out!"</p><p>I ended my stream by raiding Phil's, and he laughed as he thanked me for it. I stayed in the call for a few more minutes, keeping my eyes on the clock. Once I was sure I'd have enough time to get to the airport at least an hour early, I bid Phil farewell and left the voice chat. I gathered my luggage, placing it in my roommate's car. I ran through a mental checklist, grabbing one of my many sketchbooks and putting it into a bookbag that I'd be taking as carryon.</p><p>"Have everything?" Alicia, a friend I had made while I was in high school and who I had lived with for nearly four years, smiled as she stepped into the garage.</p><p>"I think so." I muttered.</p><p>"Are you nervous?"</p><p>"I'm going to be getting on a plane, going thousands of miles up into the air, and meeting my close friends who I've never seen in person." I hesitated before I pulled the passenger car door open. "I have a lot of things to be nervous about."</p><p>"Are you more nervous about meeting Phil than Wilbur?" She raised her eyebrow.</p><p>"Yeah. I've confided in Phil a lot, and I've wanted to meet him in person for a while." We both got into the car as I spoke. "I just think it's really unfortunate timing considering he recently broke up with his girlfriend, you know?"</p><p>Alicia hummed in understanding, and we were off to the airport. I was on my phone nearly the entire time, ear buds in as I watched Phil's stream. I looked outside as we pulled up to the airport, and I took a long deep breath before I got out and gathered my bags. Alicia gave me a fist bump and waved before I turned and walked inside, making sure to put on my face mask. After checking in and handing over my luggage, I secured my bookbag to my back and took a selfie. I sent it to Phil before posting it to Twitter, tagging both of the men I was going to be visiting. I wandered around the airport, getting food and settling down at the gate for my flight.</p><p>I was almost immediately back to bantering in Phil's stream chat, Wilbur chiming in every once and a while. I couldn't help but smile whenever Phil laughed. I sent a quick donation message as my flight was called for. The auto text to speech voice filled my ears seconds before he spoke in response.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>I'll be getting on my flight now. Only fifteen hours until I'll be walking onto New Castle ground.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"Be safe during your flight! Message me if you need to. I'm sure I'll still be streaming by the time you're allowed to be on your devices again. My chat also says be safe!" Phil said, knowing I wouldn't be looking at his chat as I hurried to gather my things.</p><p>I closed the twitch app on my phone as I boarded the plane, and I settled into my chair after finding it. I took a deep breath as the several strangers all boarded the plane, and I fiddled with my mask out of pure paranoia of having to be close to someone for fifteen hours. I looked out of the plane window as the seats started filling up.</p><p>~</p><p>My legs felt weak as I stepped off of the plan, and I yawned as I stretched. My bookbag was secured tightly on my back, and I wasted no time heading to the conveyer belt for luggage retrieval. I was looking at my phone when there was a tap on my shoulder, causing me to jump. The auburn haired man standing beside me was wearing a black face mask much like my own, his bluish green eyes being the only thing cluing me into who he was.</p><p>"Phil?" I asked.</p><p>"Hey, Amelia!" He laughed, his eyes closing as if his smile was wide enough for them to close.</p><p>He took my suitcase, and he led the way out of the airport. By the time we reached his car, I was yawning more than I had been after getting off the plane.</p><p>"Jet lag?" He chuckled.</p><p>"Yeah. I thought I had been smart by changing my sleep pattern to match what it would be here, but I guess I'm still affected by it." I laughed.</p><p>"You'll be able to sleep when we get to my place."</p><p>We both got in, and I relaxed almost as soon as I put on my seat belt. Phil made sure the music wasn't too loud, and I stared out of the window as we drove through New Castle. I looked at Phil when the car stopped at a red light. We had both taken our masks off after getting into the car, so I could see his entire face. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, following the beat of the song that was playing. I hesitated before I reached out and touched his arm, causing him to look at me.</p><p>"What are you staring at?" He chuckled.</p><p>"I guess I'm having trouble actually believing I'm here." I immediately looked away from him.</p><p>"I honestly didn't believe you would be coming here until you sent that selfie at the airport in California." He scratched his neck as he spoke. "There were chances that all of the airports would shut down before you even had the chance to leave, you know?"</p><p>"After all of the work I went through to be cleared to get on a plane in the first place, I would've been upset if I got to the airport and got denied."</p><p>"You had to take a Covid test, didn't you?"</p><p>"Yeah. It came back negative, but it was nerve wracking considering how long it took to get the results back." I checked my phone for any notifications, very easily replying to all of my friends wondering if I had made it to England safely.</p><p>"Well, how about we spend the day at my house so you can get used to the time zone and rest from your flight, and we'll meet up with Wilbur tomorrow or another day?" He smiled at me as he started driving again.</p><p>"Sounds like a plan."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. With A Smile</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I spent most of the day laying around doing absolutely nothing. Phil had made both lunch and dinner, having to wake me up for both meals. During a brief time that I was awake, he started streaming, so we had the brilliant idea for it.</p><p>"This button here unmutes the microphone, and this one switches to my Just Chatting scene." Phil said, pointing to the buttons on his keyboard. "This one enlarges the camera."</p><p>"Which one does the echoing effect?" I asked.</p><p>"That one."</p><p>He stepped behind the green screen when I started laughing maniacally. I unmuted the microphone, and chat went wild when they realized it wasn't Phil laughing. I switched scenes and couldn't stop smiling.</p><p>"Hiya, Phil's chat!" I said, causing Phil to laugh behind me. "How's everyone doing?"</p><p>I watched as the chat lost their minds. Several people spammed that I had just logged into Phil's account from my own computer. I looked at Phil as he got up and stood beside me, ducking down to get into the camera's frame. He waved, and we both laughed at the continued spam in the chat. They continued to say it was all fake until Phil physically poked my cheek.</p><p>"I'm here with Phil!" I laughed, leaning back in his chair. "I got in a few hours ago, but I honestly fell asleep as soon as we got to the house. Phil told me he was going to stream after we ate dinner, so I thought I'd surprise you all and take over his stream!"</p><p>Phil messed with my hair. "She'll be hanging out with us until she decides she's going to bed. Let me have my chair back now."</p><p>I giggled as I got to my feet, and Phil sat down. I pulled a chair up next to him, and he fixed the camera angle so his viewers could see me. I yawned, and I smiled as Phil looked at me. I watched as he continued his hardcore survival world. I watched as a points redemption notification popped up, and I looked at Phil when the text to speech voice started.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Replacing me already?</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I realized the account must have been Kristen's, as I had never really paid attention to what her account was called. Phil's entire body stiffened, and his face went completely blank.</p><p>"So what if he is?" I growled in anger. "You two aren't together. It's his choice to move on if he wants to."</p><p>"Amelia, don't." Phil muttered.</p><p>"Kristen, if you really cared about Phil, you'd stop trying to tear him down. Look at his stream title the next time you decide to drop by. It clearly says who I am and why I'm here."</p><p>I reached over Phil, grabbing his mouse and timing Kristen out in the chat, making it impossible for her to chat at all. I muted Phil's microphone when I noticed that he was starting to cry, and I switched his stream scene to his intermission. He broke down almost immediately, covering his face with his hands as his body trembled. I made him turn his chair toward me, pulling him closer to me and hugging him. It took him several minutes before he hugged me in return, burying his face in my hair as his crying grew worse.</p><p>"It's okay, Phil." I whispered.</p><p>I felt his hands spread out across my back, and his trembling lessoned as he calmed down. I smiled when he looked at me, using my thumbs to wipe his tears away. He took a deep breath before he gave a small smile.</p><p>"Are you alright to keep streaming?" I asked.</p><p>"I'll be alright." He sniffled as he wiped away the last of his tears. "Stay here with me for a little bit? I know you're tired, but I honestly need someone to interact with in person right now."</p><p>"I'll stay." I put my hand on his knee as he turned to face his computer, moving my chair closer.</p><p>He made sure his hands were steady before he switched his stream's scenes, going back to his Just Chatting scene. "Sorry about that, guys. I just needed a moment."</p><p>I watched as his chat went absolutely wild, spamming 'Muted'. I had to hold in my laugh as I leaned forward and unmuted his microphone. I could see him blush out of embarrassment, and I looked away to keep my composure.</p><p>"It's alright, Redz. You can laugh at me." He chuckled.</p><p>"Oh, so I'm Redz again?" I laughed.</p><p>His blush intensified as he realized he had called me by my name before. "I'm so sorry."</p><p>"Don't worry about it, Phil. My name isn't a big secret." I laid my hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter what you call me."</p><p>The stream went back to its usual calm atmosphere, Phil focusing intently on his hardcore world while we both read questions from chat.</p><p>"Where would Redz fit in when it comes to the Sleepy Bois Inc. family?" Phil asked. "I honestly don't think someone who's just living redstone ore fits into our family."</p><p>"If I remember correctly, you canonically have a pig as a child." I laughed. "How is that normal, but living redstone ore isn't?"</p><p>"Now that I've brought up your Minecraft skin, I have a little present for you." Phil quickly logged out of his hardcore world and went to his Just Chatting scene. "You've basically been helping me this past month whenever I've felt down, so I wanted to repay you in some kind of way, so I commissioned an artist to design both a Minecraft skin and an actual logo for you."</p><p>"You paid money to have a logo and Minecraft skin done for me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me it was in the triple digits."</p><p>"It wasn't." He reassured me.</p><p>He pulled up an image file, and I gasped at the sight of it.</p><p>
  
</p><p>"She's so cute!" I squeaked.</p><p>"I'm glad you think so. This is the skin they designed to go with it."</p><p>He loaded the skin up on Minecraft and started a creative world, immediately going into the different views to show the skin off. He laughed as I made a high pitched noise, and he had to keep himself from falling over as I hugged him, the chair tipping slightly.</p><p>"I love both of them! Thank you, Phil!" I yelled.</p><p>"I'm glad you like them. I was worried I had decided the wrong thing for your representation." He chuckled.</p><p>"You chose the raccoon?" I asked in surprise.</p><p>"Well, the artist gave me a few choices after they watched your content. I thought, out of all the choices, raccoon fit best."</p><p>"Send me both images."</p><p>"I will."</p><p>As soon as I got the notification on my phone, I was quick to change every profile image I could. "I'll have to wait to change my Minecraft skin for when we have my computer set up." I said.</p><p>"Shouldn't you go and do that?" Phil raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"I will later." I yawned. "I'm exhausted and don't really want to move right now."</p><p>"I'm going to be streaming for a while. You don't have to stay awake the entire time."</p><p>"I'm going to stay awake as long as I can."</p><p>He rolled his eyes and went back to working on his hardcore world. I spent most of my time having small conversations with him, messaging Wilbur whenever Phil had to focus entirely on the game. The one time my yawn had taken a while to go away, Phil looked at me.</p><p>"Bed time for you." He declared.</p><p>"But, Daaaaaad~" I whined.</p><p>"No buts. Time to sleep."</p><p>I groaned as I got to my feet. "I don't even know where I'm supposed to be sleeping! Your guest room is full of junk!"</p><p>"Sleep in my room. I'll take the couch."</p><p>"Are you sure?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>I reluctantly left his office, travelling through the small house almost blindly because of all the lights being off. I continued to message Wilbur after I laid down on Phil's bed, nearly immediately falling into a deep slumber as Phil's cologne enveloped me.</p><p>~</p><p>I wasn't sure what time it was when I abruptly woke up and sat straight up, scared out of my mind. I blinked until my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I changed into my decent clothing before roaming through the house. I could hear Phil's laughter, and I followed it until I reached his office. I knocked lightly before I opened the door, Phil turning to look at me.</p><p>"What are you doing up?" He asked, checking the time on his computer. "It's nearly three in the morning."</p><p>"I could ask you the same thing." I replied. "I went to bed at eleven."</p><p>"I told the chat I'd stay awake until I got a certain project done." He shrugged, patting the chair beside him. "Come sit down."</p><p>I hesitated before I trudged over to the chair, which still sat in its place but ever so slightly moved. I sat down, and I waved to his camera as his chat went wild with spammed messages of 'Hello'.</p><p>"For those of you who weren't here for a good bit of the start to my stream, Redz is here visiting." Phil said.</p><p>"Hello." I tried to speak up, but my throat was almost entirely dry so I had to clear my throat.</p><p>Phil chuckled as he grabbed his water bottle, taking off the lid and holding the bottle out to me. I gave him a small smile before I took it and took a few sips of his drink. He laughed as I made a face before handing it back to him.</p><p>"So why are you awake?" He questioned.</p><p>"Nightmare." I replied, shrugging. "I don't want to talk about it on stream."</p><p>"Alright." He proceeded to show me whatever it was he was working on. "I'll be heading to bed soon."</p><p>"I think I'm going to set up my computer." I said, looking down at my hands.</p><p>"I'll help you if you want. Just let me finish up this bit here."</p><p>I stretched as I got to my feet. "Okay. I'm gonna go ahead and get started."</p><p>He hummed in reply, and I listened to him banter with his chat while I cleaned off the second desk in his office. I went to the living room and grabbed my suitcase, rolling it back into the office and setting it on the desk. While I was taking all of the computer parts out of the suitcase, he ended his stream. I very easily set up everything while Phil brought in two spare monitors he had. Once I was able to get the computer to turn on, I threw my arms up in triumph. </p><p>"We did it!" I cheered.</p><p>He chuckled and messed with my hair. "That's great. Let's go to bed."</p><p>We both left the office room, and I frowned when he went directly to the living room couch.</p><p>"You know you can still sleep in your bed, Phil." I raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." He replied.</p><p>"It wouldn't bother me." I shrugged.</p><p>He sighed before he followed me to his room. I was quick to jump onto the bed, making him laugh as I squirmed into a comfortable place. He fixed the blankets over both of us as I laid on my stomach. He chose to lay on his side, facing me. I smiled as the warmth made me feel twice as exhausted, and Phil returned the smile. He placed his hand on my back, and we both drifted off to sleep.</p><p>~</p><p>I woke up to the sound of a phone going off, and I groaned as I sat up. Phil was still asleep beside me, not even affected by the blasting music. I looked around until I noticed both of our phones sitting on a dresser, and I got to my feet. It was Phil's phone going off, and it looked like he had a ton of missed calls. I answered the phone without bothering to check the caller ID, knowing who it could have been after seeing who had been calling him repeatedly before. I put the call on speaker as I rubbed my eyes.</p><p>"Hello?" I muttered.</p><p>"Who are you? Where's Phil?" I instantly recognized the voice as Kristen's.</p><p>"It's Amelia. You'd probably know me better as Redz." I replied, stretching. "Phil is asleep."</p><p>"Why'd you answer his phone?"</p><p>"Why are you repeatedly calling the man?"</p><p>"I need to talk to him."</p><p>"Well, he needs to sleep." I looked at Phil as he groaned in his sleep and rolled over. "He was up late last night."</p><p>"I know. I was watching his stream. You were rude to time me out for so long."</p><p>"I could always extend your time to permanent ban. I don't think Phil would even stop me." I set Phil's phone down on the dresser and grabbed my own phone, pulling up an audio recording app and starting it.</p><p>"Phil wouldn't let you do anything to me." Kristen growled.</p><p>"I'd never do anything physical to you." I rolled my eyes. "Why would I waste my money going to wherever you are just to hurt you?"</p><p>"I'd do it."</p><p>"Would you really?"</p><p>"You're trying to make a move on Phil."</p><p>"I'm not. Why does everyone keep saying that?"</p><p>"Being rude to me when I was trying to talk to him is clearly you trying to get on his good side!"</p><p>"I don't need to get on his good side, Kristen. I consider Phil my best friend, along with Techno and Wilbur. I'd do the same for the other two if they were being harassed by their former partners."</p><p>"I'm not harassing him."</p><p>"He has twenty missed calls from you, but you're not harassing him?" I leaned against the dresser and folded my arms across my chest. "Not to mention you used your channel points to blatantly mentally attack him when he's still trying to get over that argument you two had."</p><p>"He let you go to his house but hasn't invited me."</p><p>"I wasn't even supposed to be at his house, Kristen. I told him I would go to a hotel or to Wilbur's. Phil insisted I come here, so I did."</p><p>"He still let a woman he's never met in person stay at his house."</p><p>"I'm not going to argue with you over that. I'm here visiting my friends. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."</p><p>"You're lucky I can't afford to go over there."</p><p>"And why's that, Kristen?" I questioned. "What do you think you could ever possibly do to me?"</p><p>"I'd both socially and physically ruin you."</p><p>"I'm not particularly afraid of you. Go ahead and try to socially destroy me. There's not much there to tear down, and I could probably rebuild my reputation. You'd only be wasting your time and making yourself into the bad guy." I lifted the phone. "Sorry, Kristen, but I've got more important things to do than bickering with you. You can try calling Phil again, but I'm putting his phone on silent so he can actually sleep."</p><p>I hung up on her as she started talking, and I easily put Phil's phone on silent. I set it down as the screen lit up once more, and I ended the audio recording. I quietly walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me and heading to the office. I sat down at the desk as I turned the computer on, and I took a deep breath as everything loaded up. I downloaded Minecraft and Twitch, signing into my accounts on both platforms. Once Minecraft was loaded up, I hit the Broadcast Live button on Twitch.</p><p>"Hiya, Chat! It's Redz here! I'm live at Phil's place, and we've got some fun things planned for this stream!" I said as I started my stream, smiling into the webcam.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Arcade Mishaps</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I ended my stream only half an hour before Phil ended his, and I looked at the time on my phone. It wasn't close to dinner time, and there was still daylight outside. Phil and I looked at each other at the same time.</p><p>"Want to go to an arcade?" He asked.</p><p>"Sure, why not?"</p><p>We both got to our feet, and I trudged to the bathroom after grabbing a pair of clothes from my book bag. I very quickly got changed into a pair of tight sweat pants and an oversized T-Shirt. I walked to my bookbag and pulled out the zip-up hoodie, the image of a redstone ore on the front and my screen name across the back. I put it on and zipped it up as Phil stepped out of his bedroom. He was wearing a white T-Shirt and jeans, and his black Hardcore Heart wristbands were present on his wrists.</p><p>"Ready to go?" He asked.</p><p>"Yeah." I replied.</p><p>We both gathered whatever we were taking, and we stepped out of the house together. The wind was soft, and the sun was shining brightly. I followed Phil as he started walking down the sidewalk.</p><p>"It wont be a long train ride." He said, looking at his phone. "I hope you don't get motion sickness."</p><p>"I'll be alright." I shoved my hands into my pockets. "I'm more worried about the amount of people that are going to be on the train than the train itself."</p><p>He chuckled, and we both put on our face masks as we started passing people who were also walking. I took a deep breath as we waited outside of the train after buying our tickets, the forming crowd driving my small fear of crowds up the wall. The train whizzed by and slowed to a stop, and Phil placed his hand on my lower back to guide me forward. We both chose to stand while others took the seats. I kept my arms tucked at my sides, my hands balled into tight fists in my hoodie's pockets. Phil held onto one of the handles hanging from the top of the train, his muscles tightening with his grip.</p><p>The train jolted to the front as it started rolling once more, causing my balance to shift. I squeaked as Phil grabbed my arm with his free hand, steadying me with ease. I blushed as I looked at him, and he chuckled as he pulled me closer to him. He looped his arm around mine.</p><p>"I know you're nervous because of the pandemic and being in crowds, but at least take your own safety into account." He said.</p><p>"I don't like trains." I muttered. "There's no telling who's touched what, and that's without the pandemic added to the equation."</p><p>"Relax." He moved his arm so he was holding me by my waist.</p><p>It wasn't long before the train stopped, and Phil chuckled as I was quick to get off. He led the way to the nearest arcade, and I was surprised by its size. I had to jog to keep up with Phil as he walked through the building. He paid for the currency to play the games, and I smiled as he held one of the cards out to me.</p><p>"Let's make a bet." He said.</p><p>"What kind of bet?" I gently took the card from him.</p><p>"We each have the same amount of points to spend. Whoever gets the most tickets wins, and the loser buys dinner."</p><p>"Deal."</p><p>He laughed as I turned and ran. He followed after me, most likely trying to stay close so we wouldn't have to search the entire arcade for each other. We ended up doing a lot of the games together, taking turns or doing multiplayer ones. I could hardly stop laughing the entire time.</p><p>"I'll go and get us something to drink." Phil messed with my hair as he spoke over the arcade's music. "Don't wander off too far from here, okay?"</p><p>"Okay, Dadza!" I laughed.</p><p>He rolled his eyes as he turned and walked away, and I went back to focusing on the game in front of me. It was some kind of sweeper game, where all I had to do was push a button at the correct time for a mechanical arm to slide across the inner surface and push ticket counters into the bin for me.</p><p>"Are you a fan of Redztone Craftz, too?"</p><p>The voice made me jump, and I looked to my side to see a man. He was wearing a neon blue face mask, and his eyes were bright green.</p><p>"Uh.... I am Redztone." I muttered, looking away.</p><p>"Wait, really?" The man seemed excited.</p><p>"Yeah. I'm here with Phil." I stepped to the side a bit, trying not to be too close to him. "He's getting us drinks."</p><p>"Are you and Philza a thing?"</p><p>"No? And even if we were, it's no one else's business." I chose to start walking away, but the man followed me.</p><p>I easily avoided everyone as I walked through the arcade, the man still following me the entire time. I found Phil at the bar in the middle of the arcade, and he looked at me when he realized I was walking straight toward him.</p><p>"Something wrong, Amelia?" He asked.</p><p>I sat down on one of the stools, and he sat down beside me. I folded my arms on the counter, and I fixated my gaze on a crack in the counter's surface.</p><p>"Amelia?" I flinched as Phil placed his hand on my back.</p><p>I looked at him, and he must have seen the fear in my eyes as he immediately looked in the direction I had come from. Judging from the hostility in his gaze, he must have seen the man that had been following me. The hostility became glazed with his fatherly persona within seconds.</p><p>"Hi!" I could tell that he was forcing a smile before his mask.</p><p>"Hello." The man's dead tone sent a shiver down my spine, and I laid my head down as I pulled my hoodie up.</p><p>"Is there a reason you were following Redz?"</p><p>"We were having a conversation."</p><p>"Ah. I see. Well, she's not feeling well right now. I'd appreciate it if you'd leave her alone." Phil's voice, even being as warm and unguarded as he always sounded, almost seemed as though it had venom laced in it.</p><p>"I don't really have to listen to you."</p><p>"Considering you're following her around and she doesn't feel well, you honestly do."</p><p>The bartender must have noticed what was going on, and I could hear him call for security on what I assumed was a walkie talkie. I looked up from the counter when I heard the man arguing with the security guards, and my gaze shifted to Phil. He was standing now, and his hand was balled into a fist on the counter. I hesitated before I reached out, and his gaze snapped to me when I touched his hand. He sighed before he sat down, and the bartender placed drinks in front of us. I moved my stool closer to Phil, leaning against him and putting my head on his shoulder.</p><p>"Thank you." I muttered, putting my hand on the counter as I grabbed the cup with the other.</p><p>"Anytime." He replied, laying his hand over mine.</p><p>~</p><p>It took a few drinks before we got to our feet and went back to playing the arcade games. Watching Phil struggling to play a ball tossing game had me laughing so hard I had almost fallen over, causing him to grab me and steady me, but he only ended up bursting out into a laughing fit as well. Once we were both out of points, we made our way over to the prize counter. I cheered in triumph when we learned I had gotten the most tickets, winning by only ten. </p><p>"I guess I'll pay." He chuckled.</p><p>"Let's get some prizes." I smiled as I held up the two cards.</p><p>He shook his head as I took his hand, and I guided him into the small area where the prizes were kept. All of the non-valuable prizes were kept as neatly as possible on shelves and displays, but the more expensive objects were locked behind glass. We ended up having enough tickets to get a Switch Lite, Phil making me promise that I'd buy the games for it and keep it as safe as possible. We had just enough tickets to get a single game for it, and I chose to get the only copy of Luigi's Mansion 3. </p><p>We decided to order food and take it home so we wouldn't have to eat while surrounded by people. After Phil paid for the food, we left the arcade. During the train ride back, I stood as close to Phil as physically possible, making sure I wasn't intruding on his personal space but still being able to have our arms touching enough that I felt comforted. The walk under the stars back to his house was silent and peaceful, the soft crunching of falling leaves and twigs under our feet bringing familiarity to me.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Surprise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I woke up early the next morning, stretching and very easily dodging Phil's out stretched arm as he tried to grab me and make me return to the bed. I wanted to have an calm early morning stream before joining others in whatever games we would be playing tonight, so I made a quick breakfast and nearly burned my throat as I downed a cup of hot coffee. I sat down at my desk and started up my stream, letting music play on my Starting Soon screen while I made sure everything was neatly placed.</p><p>Once I was satisfied with all of my small changes, I switched over to my Just Chatting scene, a smile on my face. I did my normal introduction to my streams, hearing Phil moving around but the silence settling once more.</p><p>"I think I'm just going to be doing some practice for Minecraft Championships for this stream. I believe I'll be doing a stream later today as well, but I'll be doing games other than Minecraft. Teams have been announced already, and I'm kind of intimidated by my teammates. I'm on the Green Guardians. Michaelmcchill backed out last minute because of family affairs, and Scott sent me a message to see if I'd take his place." I twirled a pen in my hand. "I think I mostly need to practice Parkour Warrior. I've seen that they only make the course harder every time, so I at least want to go through the entire course maybe twice, and then I'll practice a few of the other games if I have time to."</p><p>I set the pen down, changing the scene to Minecraft, where I was already logged onto the practice server for Minecraft Championships. I stretched my arms and popped my fingers, and I did my best to not get angry every time I fell. The door to the office opened after about an hour, Phil peeking in for a few seconds before closing the door once more. I was looking at my phone when a text to speech message played, and I looked up as the message end and realized what the person had said.</p><p>"Okay, that's a Weird Champ moment." I put my phone down. "No more of that."</p><p>I continued practicing Parkour Warrior, reaching the end of the course for the first time an hour and a half after starting. I took a deep breath as I went back to the start of the course, and another text to speech message started playing.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Hello! I'm the guy you met in the arcade yesterday!</b>
  </em>
</p><p>The message sent a shiver down my spine, but I forced myself to smile. "Hi! Glad to know you could make it to the stream!"</p><p>I could hear Phil's loud curse from outside of the office, and his quickened pace as he moved through the house only stressed me out more as another message started playing.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>It wasn't very nice of you to have Phil get the security to make me leave, you know? I wasn't even doing anything wrong! I was only following you because I thought-</b>
  </em>
</p><p>Phil burst through the door of the office halfway through the message and immediately stood beside me to press the button that skipped it.</p><p>"No." Phil stated angrily. "Weird Champ."</p><p>Phil hovered in the office behind me, shifting things around as I continued to practice. I took a deep breath as another text to speech message played from the same username.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>It wasn't nice to skip my message, Phil. It's not your stream. You don't have the right.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I froze at the same time Phil stopped moving behind me, my stream most likely playing on his phone. I had to frantically stop Phil from banning the person as he stormed over to my setup.</p><p>"Phil, stop! Just let it go!" I begged.</p><p>"That man is an absolute creep." Phil growled.</p><p>"I know! Relax!"</p><p>I grabbed a handful of his shirt, and he made a noise of surprise as I pulled him down enough to kiss him. He was blushing when I broke the kiss, and I smiled as I let go of his shirt.</p><p>"Why don't you think about that instead of the creep?" I asked, looking at my computer and watching the chat go wild. "Banning the man won't do much. He just won't be able to send chat messages or donations."</p><p>"You.....You did that while you were live." He stuttered.</p><p>"I know what I did." I pushed him toward his desk. "Start streaming and come practice with me."</p><p>As soon as another text to speech message started playing and the username was displayed, I skipped the message and banned the man from my chat to prevent further messages. My chat was filled with several messages of surprise from me kissing Phil, but I ignored a majority of it.</p><p>After a few hours of practicing the different games, I chose to take a break from streaming until the games that I'd be taking part in later in the day. I moved my chair next to Phil, giving him tips for certain jumps for the parkour course whenever he'd ask for them. Once he switched to his hardcore world, he showed me all of the progress he had made on it.</p><p>"<em>Phil, are you just going to let a girl get away with kissing you on a live stream?</em>" Phil chuckled as he read his chat, and he looked at me. "To be honest, it was a complete surprise to me that she even did it. She's the one that's always saying we're nothing more than friends."</p><p>"You've had me at your house for a few days now, and you haven't made a move." I muttered.</p><p>He rolled his eyes. "I've been respecting your boundaries."</p><p>I covered my mouth as I muffled my laughter, and Phil smiled as I playfully hit his arm. He took my hand and almost nonchalantly kissed the back of it.</p><p>"Over the past month or so, we did nothing but really message each other outside of our streams and our YouTube videos." I said. "I'll admit that I did have some feelings for Phil while he was with Kristen, but I gave him that space because he was in the relationship. We already spent most of our day together streaming and gaming simply because it is our job, so our conversations off stream were more about the games that we could play and the different mod packs we could possibly try out."</p><p>"I didn't really have feelings for Amelia. There were feelings there, but I didn't really chase them because of Kristen, but after the breakup, I only spent time with Amelia, Techno, and Wilbur out of everyone that we've met and played games with. I just felt far more comfortable with them. They never really asked questions about what happened, and I don't think they even know what it was that Kristen and I argued about." Phil scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. "It's probably best to get it out there so people won't start spreading rumors."</p><p>He looked as though he was struggling to keep his composure, so I placed my hand on his back and smiled in encouragement as he took a deep breath.</p><p>"Kristen was completely fine with me streaming a majority of the day. I always replied to her messages and interacted with her over anyone else in my chat whenever she'd show up. When I started doing more streams and videos with primarily Amelia, Kristen started acting up. I don't really blame her for her behavior, and I really wish things had gone differently, but she was jealous and angry. I couldn't really just say no to Amelia whenever she asked to stream or record because she's one of my closest friends." Phil paused for a minute, and he hastily wiped a tear away. "On the day that we broke up, we had a really long talk about it all, and it only ended with her yelling a lot and telling me that I had to choose. She gave me the choice of her or my job, and I couldn't really step back from my job since its my only form of income. Kristen thought that I was choosing Amelia over her, which wasn't the case at all."</p><p>I watched as his stream chat became overwhelmed with 'Phil Support' and emotes. Phil didn't object to my hug, leaning into me.</p><p>"I've honestly relied on Amelia, Techno, and Wilbur a lot this past month and a half or so. We don't always record or stream the games we play, so it's really nice to just sit back and chill and not have to put on a face all the time." He muttered.</p><p>"To add on to what Phil's said, having that time off camera with friends really helps mentally." I said. "There have been a lot of nights where I'd wake up and just message him or Wilbur just so I wouldn't feel alone, and I've had days where I've just wanted to play games without a camera focused on me. Not everyone knows this within my viewer base because I don't really like talking about it all the time. I've been diagnosed with severe depression on multiple different occasions, mostly because of situations in my past regarding a very toxic relationship. Most nights, I'm terrified to fall asleep because I've developed a fear of dreams. For a long period of time, I had everyone that I'm friends with destroying their sleep schedules so I wouldn't be alone. I don't think I've even told Phil the full extent of what I had been going through simply because it's not something I want to be reminded of. All I really know is that I relied on a lot of people, which in some terms was a mistake because a handful of the people I thought were there for me turned around and belittled me or defended the man that had treated me wrongly."</p><p>Phil grabbed my hand as I absentmindedly scratched the opposite wrist, one of my many tells of anxiety eating at me.</p><p>"Don't do that." He muttered.</p><p>"Sorry." I tried to relax, clearing my throat and looking down at my hands. "We aren't really meaning to make this a bad vibe stream."</p><p>I looked up, peeking at his stream chat to see a lot of heart emotes and encouraging words. I took a deep breath and repeatedly popped my knuckles, once again being stopped by Phil, only he was far more sly with his movements as he took my hand in his own without speaking.</p><p>"Oh! For those of you who were asking when I was going to meet up with Wilbur!" I noticed a single comment in his stream chat and immediately took the chance to hop off of the depressing topic. "I'll be going to meet him tomorrow. Phil was going to try and go, but he's got a few things that he needs to do, so he won't be able to. I would've met with Wilbur sooner, but he had a few things that he was doing that meant I couldn't go see him. I'll probably stay the night with him since it's a five hour trip back and forth."</p><p>Phil hummed. "I'll probably be streaming during the time that I'm not working on other things."</p><p>I looked at my phone as the screen lit up, and I raised an eyebrow at the unknown number. I gave Phil a sideways glance before I got to my feet and stepped outside of the office, staying in his view as I answered the call and put it on speaker.</p><p>"Hello?" I questioned.</p><p>The person on the other side of the call didn't answer. I could hear what sounded like heavy breathing. Phil stared at me with a look of concern on his face, and I ended the call. I jumped slightly when the number called again. Phil held his hand out for my phone.</p><p>"Phil, you're live." I reminded him.</p><p>"I'm muted." He told me. "Give me your phone."</p><p>I sighed as I handed it to him, and he answered the call as they called a third time. He put the phone on speaker and set it down on his desk.</p><p>"Hello?" He scratched the back of his neck.</p><p>The heavy breathing returned, this time sounding more agitated. Phil looked at my phone, raising an eyebrow as the heavy breathing continued.</p><p>"Why don't you unmute your stream?" The voice was heavily distorted.</p><p>A chill ran down my spine as my eyes widened, but Phil seemed entirely unfazed. </p><p>"Why would I need to do that?" Phil looked at his computer for a split second, and I noticed he had put his stream to the 'Just Chatting' scene.</p><p>"I could say anything online about our conversation, and your audience would be more inclined to believe me than you if you're muted."</p><p>I took Phil's phone, and I pointed to it silently. He took it without a word and unlocked it, handing it back to me. I very quickly scrolled through his contact list, and my stomach flipped when I found the exact same number.</p><p>"Whatever you're doing to change how your voice sounds, stop it." I said.</p><p>Phil looked at me, and I grabbed my phone. I held both phones up so he could look at them, showing the caller's number and the number I had found in his contact list. Anger overcame his facial features the second he noticed. It took one swift movement for him to get out of the chair, snatching my phone from me and storming out of the office. I flinched when he slammed the door, and the screaming match had started between him and the caller. I hesitated before I sat down in his chair, smiling as I unmuted his microphone.</p><p>"Sorry about that, Chat. I just want to say one quick thing before I try and figure out whatever it was Phil was trying to do on his hardcore world. Kristen, if you still have the stream up or are just listening to it while you are on the phone with Phil, I don't know how you got my number. I honestly don't want to know, nor do I care that you somehow did. Don't ever call me again, and don't ever use whatever it is you did to distort your voice again. Have fun being yelled at." I gave the sweetest smile I could after I spoke.</p><p>I watched as the chat went absolutely wild while I got to work on whatever Phil had been doing. I screamed and paused the game when Phil burst through the office door, following his sudden entrance by a loud scream. He laughed as I put my head down on the desk.</p><p>"You scared me!" I looked at him when he stood beside me, his hand on my back.</p><p>"I'm sorry." He chuckled.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 1, 2, 3, Shot!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia (REFERENCE OF SELF HARM WARNING)</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I woke up the next morning enveloped in both the blanket and Phil's embrace. I had to be careful as I wiggled my way free, and I stretched as I stood up. I immediately gathered a clean change of clothes and headed to the bathroom, waiting to turn the light on until I had closed the door entirely, trying my best to not cause Phil to wake up. I turned the shower on, and I rid myself of my clothes while I waited for the water to heat up. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom's mirror, and the sight of the scars made me look away. I looked at my arms, the normally well hidden healing cuts on full display.</p><p>By the time I was done with my shower, the mirror was fogged up enough that I couldn't see my reflection. I pulled my clothes on in silence, draping the tower over my head as I flicked the light off and opened the door. The bedroom light was on, and Phil was sitting up on the bed, his back to me. He looked at me over his shoulder as I stepped out of the bathroom.</p><p>"You're up early." I muttered.</p><p>"Yeah." He didn't offer an explanation.</p><p>I fiddled with my shirt sleeves before violently rubbing my head with the towel. Phil chuckled as he got to his feet, and he stood in front of me. I let out an almost silent huff as he took the towel from me, being far more gentle than I had been. I noticed the tear streaks on his cheeks and how puffy his eyes were, but the small guarded smile kept me from asking about what was wrong.</p><p>"You have to leave in half an hour if you want to catch the train on time." He muttered.</p><p>"I know. I got up early to shower so I wouldn't be rushing." I replied.</p><p>He stepped away, and I worked on brushing my hair as he left the room. I had my hair tied back in a ponytail by the time he walked back into the room, and he held his hand out. I raised an eyebrow before placing my hand in his, and in one swift movement, one of his hardcore heart wristbands was on my wrist.</p><p>"Take my only life with you." He whispered.</p><p>I found it hard not to laugh, causing him to smile as he noticed my struggle. He helped me gather some things into one of his bookbags, making it so I wouldn't have to travel with a large suitcase for just a single night of clothes. I made sure my status on Discord reflected that I wouldn't be at a set up of my own, and I took a deep breath as I walked to the front door. I looked at Phil as he held the door open.</p><p>"Don't get lost." He gave me one of his devious smiles.</p><p>"I'll do my best." I muttered, looking down at the directions Wilbur was still currently messaging to me. "Master Geographer is sending me directions as we speak. He said he's going to meet me at the station I'll be getting off at."</p><p>"I now have some confidence that I'll at least be told if you go missing."</p><p>I huffed as I looked at him, and he chuckled. He reached out for me when I stepped toward the door, pulling me closer to him. His lips were gentle against my forehead, and I leaned into his touch as he placed his hand on my neck.</p><p>"Text me as soon as you get on the train." He muttered.</p><p>"I will." I laid my hand on his chest. "I'll even message you while I'm on the train and when I get to Wilbur."</p><p>He leaned down, and the brief kiss left me breathless as I left him behind.</p><p>~</p><p>I was standing on the train, my hand gripping one of the ceiling handles tightly, when I heard the start of an argument between two passengers. I looked up from my phone just as a loud popping sound echoed through the train car. Silence followed it, and then the entire train car had erupted into chaos. Several of the people closer to the two men who had been arguing got up and rushed to the other side of the car, one of the older men pushing me along with them.</p><p>I peaked over one of the men's shoulders to see that the cause of the chaos was the man who had been screaming, a pistol in his hand. My heart dropped to my stomach when I realized he was holding a girl I assumed was in her late teens, the pistol aimed at her head. She was sobbing uncontrollably, clawing at the man's arm to try and get free.</p><p>I fumbled with my phone in my hands, accidentally causing the start of a group call. I could hear several of the people within it saying hello, but the screams of the train occupants drowned them out.</p><p>"Let her go!" I begged when the man started threatening to actually shoot the girl.</p><p>"I'm so sick of being told what I can and can't do!" The man had a hard to understand accent, but I was able to decipher his words from having heard Wilbur and Phil speak so many times.</p><p>I wasn't the only one to start pleading with the man, but I knew that he wasn't going to back down from his threats easily. Another loud pop echoed through the train, and the man standing slightly in front of me slumped to the floor, clutching at his neck. I dropped to my knees beside him, frantically ripping my bookbag off and pulling out one of the shirts I had packed. I quickly wrapped it around the man's neck, tight enough to act as a blockade for his bleeding wound but not suffocating him. I pressed down on his wound, and fear rushed through me when my hands became red within the matter of seconds.</p><p>"Someone get that fucking gun away from him!" A woman farther away from the front of the group yelled over the chaos.</p><p>At the woman's scream, the man fired off a few more shots. One of the men who were still standing had turned around and shielded me and the injured man, but I felt him fall to the floor. The teenaged girl began to cry harder, her sobs getting louder and her frail voice pleading to be let go. I got the woman beside me to hold pressure on the man's neck wound, and I slowly got to my feet. I immediately had the pistol aimed at me, being the one closest to him.</p><p>"Shoot me." I growled. "Kill as many of us as you want. You won't be walking out of here as a free man."</p><p>I stepped over the men who had been shot, facing the pistol head on. The man fiddled with the trigger, and I dove forward as he pressed down, feeling the bullet graze my leg. I slid across the floor, more from the pooling blood than actually wanting to. I hooked my foot around the man's ankle when I got close enough, yanking my leg toward him and subsequently forcing the man to become unbalanced. The girl got free, and she scurried past me as I got to my feet. I very quickly grabbed onto the man's arm when he tried to point the pistol at me once more, forcing him to aim upward in one swift motion as he once again pulled the trigger.</p><p><em>If my math is correct, he's fired off a full magazine.</em> I struggled with the man until I was able to rip the gun out of his hand, wrapping my leg around his in the meantime and forcing him down to his knees. He immediately froze when I pointed the pistol at him, lining it directly between his eyes.</p><p>The train came to a screeching halt, and everyone rushed to get out, practically trampling the injured and dead. I waited until an officer walked up to me to lower the pistol, and they hoisted the man to his feet. I handed the pistol to one of the officers, collecting my belongings as they guided the man off of the train. I ended the Discord call, shoving my phone into my pocket.</p><p>Medics pushed past me, and the cold breeze that met me as I stepped off of the train was almost welcoming. I had a tight hold on the bookbag, having slung it over my shoulder, and I almost dropped it to the ground when I focused on the man in front of me.</p><p>"Hi, Wilbur." I muttered.</p><p>Wilbur seemed out of breath, his hair disheveled and his shirt a mess. His eyes were wide with both fear and disbelief. He started crying as he closed the space between us, gathering me in his embrace. We both fell to the ground, pain rippling through my leg.</p><p>"Phil's on his way." Wilbur struggled to speak. "He's getting on a bus and taking an Uber." </p><p>"I guess I got everyone scared with that accidental call." I muttered, grabbing handfuls of the back of his shirt and forcing myself not to cry.</p><p>"We were all confused." Wilbur took my bookbag and set it to the side to get a better hold on me. "We all knew you weren't going to be able to call, and when you did.... All we heard was screaming and then you...."</p><p>At the thought of them believing I had been injured or killed, I broke. The adrenaline I had been feeling washed away, the full impact of the situation crashing over me as I buried my face in his neck and let out the horrible sobs I had been fighting.</p><p>~</p><p>I had remained silent during most of the officer's questioning, muttering what had happened and what I had both witnessed and done. After several minutes, I grew uncomfortable at the gathering news reporters. Wilbur, having been at my side during it all, easily lifted me up off of the train station bench and carried me away, snapping at the officers and reporters that I was done. My leg throbbed, the tightly wrapped bandages around the bullet graze only making the pain worse.</p><p>Wilbur climbed the staircase out of the train station with ease despite having to carry me and my bookbag. The sunlight was blinding, and I held my hand up to block it. My skin had been rubbed intensely with alcohol wipes, the medic who had attended to me having wanted to get it off of me in case I had any hidden injuries. Wilbur set me down on a sheltered bench, taking a shaken breath as he sat down beside me. He ran his hand through his hair, and I tilted my head as a car came to a screeching halt in front of us. </p><p>The back door flung open, and it was like my safe haven had been restored as Phil got out, a bookbag slung over his shoulder and his phone in his hand. Wilbur helped me get to my feet, holding me up as Phil crossed the gap between us. He dropped his bookbag the second he stood in front of me, his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me close. His entire body trembled as I threw my arms around his neck. The three of us sat down on the bench, and I couldn't help but laugh as Wilbur pulled his phone out, turning on his camera and making it where the three of us were in view. The three of us looked like living death, our eyes red and puffy and tears present, but we all managed a smile as Wilbur took the selfie.</p><p>~</p><p>"Look at this."</p><p>"I'm trending on Twitter?"</p><p>"Someone took a picture of you standing up to the gunman. There's also videos posted everywhere."</p><p>Phil, sitting beside me on Wilbur's guest bed, took my phone from me the second he saw my face of discomfort. I had been in a voice chat with Wilbur and Tommy, who were both streaming, and Tommy had basically filled my direct messages with him with articles and videos and whatever else he could find of what had happened earlier in the day.</p><p>"Tommy." Phil said, his serious voice in place.</p><p>"Yes, Philza Minecraft?" Tommy replied.</p><p>"No more."</p><p>And with that, Phil disconnected me from the call. He tossed my phone to the floor, and we both watched it bounce on the carpet. I let out a noise of frustration, throwing myself back onto the bed. Phil leaned back and looked at me as I covered my face with my hands.</p><p>"You saved a lot of people on that train." He muttered.</p><p>"Three are dead, and one is fatally wounded." I grumbled from behind my hands. "I didn't save anyone but myself."</p><p>"You're having survivor's guilt." Phil pulled my hands away from my face. "You saved people, Amelia."</p><p>I shook my head repeatedly, causing him to sigh. He got to his feet, closing the bedroom door and almost entirely cancelling out Wilbur's screams of frustration. I moved so I was laying completely on the bed, instantly hiding under the covers as Phil walked toward the bed. He moved the covers and laid down beside me. He laid on his back, and I sighed in contempt as he tucked me into his side. It didn't matter where I was or what I was going through. Phil had never failed to make me feel safe, even at my worst moments. Panic found its way into my system as he gently held my arm up, my sleeve falling down enough to reveal the healing cuts. He didn't speak, merely lowering my arm and pressing his lips to my skin.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. MCC Debut</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I took a deep breath as I sat down at the computer. My hands were shaking slightly, and my nerves were eating at me. Phil was getting his set up ready for his stream, and I could hear him pause his movements when I assumed he looked at me.</p><p>"If you aren't ready to stream again, you don't have to." He reminded me. "Noxite already said he'd be fine if you didn't."</p><p>"I told my fans I would." I said. "I'm not backing out of my word."</p><p>He hummed, and I turned my chair to look at him. He shook his water bottle, and the soft clang of him setting it down made my skin crawl. He sat down, and we both focused on our own streams as we started them. I joined my team's voice call, not at all surprised to find them all deafened. I was suddenly bombarded as they all started talking at once.</p><p>"Are you excited, Redz? It's your first MCC!" Burren cheered.</p><p>"I wouldn't really say excited, but I am glad to be here." I replied.</p><p>"You doing alright, Redz?" Pete asked.</p><p>"I'm doing better than I was the other day, if that means anything." I began to repetitively pop my knuckles, and I overheard Phil's snap of "Stop it!" behind me.</p><p>The countdown timer for the event, although very annoying, grew closer and closer to zero. I nearly had a heart attack when fireworks went off in the game, and we were all teleported into the decision dome within seconds. I took a few seconds to myself to calm down, tossing my voting egg after listening to my team decide what they wanted to play. Skyblockle was chosen as the first game, and it went by in an almost entire blur. I couldn't help but laugh when it was Phil who got the final hit on me during a battle against him and the rest of his team, causing me to fall into the void. I put my head down on my desk after muting myself, trying to ignore the many loud explosion sounds of the game. I took a deep breath as the first game ended, and I lifted my head.</p><p>The next game, Big Sales at Build Mart, flew by within the blink of an eye. I had been given the task to assemble a majority of the builds, Burren occasionally helping while Vik and Pete went out to get the blocks. I flinched ever so slightly whenever the completion sound went off, and I was glad that there was an intermission before the next game. I leaned back in my chair, taking a long drink from my bottled water.</p><p>"I'll be right back. I'm going to go bug the Sleepy Bois." I told my team.</p><p>"Alright!" Pete was the only one to respond before I jumped to a different voice channel.</p><p>"Who just joined?" Tommy's voice almost immediately gave me a headache from just the one question.</p><p>"It's the raccoon." Techno mumbled.</p><p>"Thanks for identifying me that way, Pig man." I scoffed.</p><p>"Shouldn't you be in your team's voice chat?" Tommy snapped.</p><p>"Don't be a dick, Tommy." Wilbur growled.</p><p>"They don't really talk when they get focused." I said. "And I just wanted to check in and make sure you three weren't harassing Phil."</p><p>"Aren't you in his house? You could just get up and ask him." Tommy sounded angry.</p><p>"If my presence bothers you, Tommy, I'll go."</p><p>"Wait, Redz, that's not how I meant-"</p><p>I left the voice channel before he finished speaking, rejoining my team's. Pete and Vik welcomed me back in soft voices. I remained silent for a majority of Survival Games, slamming my hand down on my desk when I died trying to find a water source since I had gotten caught on fire by lava. I decided to follow Phil around, keeping an eye on his position and how far away he and Techno were from Vik. Once the game was entirely over, I started chewing on my finger nail. I felt something hit my shoulder, and a pen bounced onto my desk. I turned to look at Phil to see that he still had his arm positioned from the throw.</p><p>"Stop that." He growled.</p><p>I threw the pen back at him, and he laughed as it rebounded off of his hand when he tried to catch it. I turned back to facing my computer when the next game was being chosen, and I launched my chicken early to let it walk around on its own. To Get To The Other Side was repetitive, being knocked off a thousand times over. When I got first place in the last round of it, I heard Phil cheer for me, but my mind had long since lost focus from the overwhelming noises. I folded my arms on top of the desk and laid my head down, struggling to regulate my breathing as the sounds continued. I ripped my headset off, letting it clatter to the floor.</p><p>"Amelia?" Phil's voice was borderline panicked, and I guessed that my viewers had notified him of my current condition.</p><p>I shook my head violently, grasping at my hair and pulling at it. Phil said my name again, screaming it this time as he rushed to his feet. The loud bang of the chair being knocked over and hitting the floor made me scream, and my immediate instinct was to get up and run out of the office. Phil followed me through the house, very easily catching up to me. I was jerked back into his embrace when he grabbed my arm and pulled, his arms tightening around me.</p><p>"You're safe." Phil's voice was quiet, his body trembling from his panic. "I'm here. You're alright. Nothing can hurt you."</p><p>I tried to match my breathing with his as I grasped at the back of his shirt, burying my face in his chest. I felt his hand spread across my back.</p><p>"You're okay." He whispered.</p><p>I looked up at him, and his eyes were filled with nothing but worry. I took a deep breath before I gave him the smallest smile I could muster. He moved his hands to my neck, the warmth of his skin a stark contrast to the chilly air of the house.</p><p>"Say it back to me." He pleaded. "You know you have to."</p><p>"I'm safe. You're here." I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair. "Nothing can hurt me."</p><p>He smiled. "How about we turn your game sounds off and have music playing in the background?"</p><p>I hummed in agreement, and he took my hand in his as he guided me back to the office. I took a few seconds to compose myself, smoothing down my shirt and fixing my ponytail while Phil sat down at my desk and turned off all of my game sounds. He got up once I was done trying not to look like I had completely lost my mind, and he leaned over me as he opened up a web browser. It took two clicks of the mouse to be on YouTube, and he very easily found a playlist of songs I'd be able to play without having to worry about getting in trouble. I hesitantly put my headphones on, discovering that everyone had been moved into a single voice chat.</p><p>"Do you think she's okay?"</p><p>"Did you see how fast Phil got up?"</p><p>"She's not hurt, is she? My chat said she was screaming."</p><p>I turned my chair and looked to Phil as I heard him clear his throat in my ears.</p><p>"Redz is fine." He said after everyone fell silent. "Sorry if we frightened any of you."</p><p>"I won't believe you until she speaks!" Techno barked.</p><p>"You can look at her stream if you don't believe me." Phil glanced over at me. "Nevermind. She turned off her camera."</p><p>I took my headset off and set it down on my desk. Phil raised an eyebrow when I walked over to him, keeping myself out of the camera's view entirely as I grabbed the arm of his chair. He took his headset off as I pulled his chair to the side, getting him entirely off camera. I smiled when he had to stretch in order to press the mute button for his microphone. He looked at me when I climbed onto the chair and straddled him.</p><p>"How are you feeling?" He asked.</p><p>"I'm okay."</p><p>"Can we continue the championships?"</p><p>"In a minute."</p><p>He raised an eyebrow to me, and I gave him an innocent smile before I kissed him. He chuckled when I pulled away.</p><p>"That wasn't necessary, Amelia." He said.</p><p>"A kiss never has to be necessary." I messed with his hair as I got off of him.</p><p>I sat down at my desk, and Phil was quick to return to his. The championship continued, the next game being Rocket Spleef. I was rather skilled with Elytra, and my team cheered loudly when I was one of the few left alive at the end of the first round. I was sniped out of the air by Technoblade during the second round, and I chose to follow Phil around after being killed. The same happened for the third round, being sniped by Graser and following Phil after. Pete and Vik were both in the top five players of the game.</p><p>Phil and I threw a pen back and forth at each other during the short intermission, causing him to laugh when I tossed it at him in the last second before being sent into the Decision Dome. Battle Box was chosen, and the repetitive fights were both intense and boring at the same time. I heard Phil laugh when his team defeated mine, and I scoffed. Hole In The Wall was the next game, and I found it difficult to do. With everyone talking over each other, I had a hard time focusing and finding where the walls were coming from. During the second round, I got caught on the first wall and hit my desk out of anger. I wasn't much better the third round, and my team repeatedly told me it was alright and that we could still get to the final game.</p><p>Parkour Warrior was the last game before the finals. Pete had raced ahead of the rest of us, and I had to deafen on Discord in able to focus to do the parkour. I had successfully reached a far enough stage to not feel like a burden, and I undeafened to hear my team screaming at the top of their lungs.</p><p>"We're in the finals, Redz!" Burren yelled.</p><p>"Wait, we got the points?" I asked.</p><p>"We got the points!"</p><p>I threw my arms up into the air, and I watched as my chat went wild. I turned my face cam on in time for Phil to rush up to me and hug me. I laughed as he gave me a kiss on the cheek before hurrying back to his chair. I made my player jump in place several times, and I was quick to start jumping irregularly to make it difficult to be shot. I knew Tommy was most likely psyching himself up when he managed to get Pete out on his first try. I smirked when I got the arrogant teenager out, along with Vik getting Wilbur. I had to keep myself from laughing when it was Phil who got me out.</p><p>I hardly tried during the second round, and it wasn't long before Purple Pandas Win MCC! flashed on my screen. I took a deep breath as the stress flowed out of me, and I smiled as I turned to look at Phil. He laughed as I got to my feet and clapped.</p><p>"You better be clapping for yourself! You got to second place for teams, and this is your first Championships!"</p><p>"I was hard carried by Vik and Pete." I laughed.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Unwanted Departure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Amelia</em>
  </b>
</p><p>I spent most of my last day at Phil's house reluctantly looking at the time. My flight was scheduled for late in the night, the latest flight I could get to go back home. I had long since packed up all of my belongings, including my computer, so I was left to sit beside Phil while he streamed. I entertained myself by spinning in the chair, only stopping when Phil grabbed the arm of the chair and forced me to.</p><p>"Alright, guys! That's gonna be it for today! I've got to get this wild child to the airport." Phil pointed his thumb at me as he switched his stream scene to Just Chatting.</p><p>"I'm going to be depressed!" I put on a fake smile and spoke in an excited voice.</p><p>"Thank you all for coming to the stream! I'll see you guys later! Bye! Bye bye!" He made a weird noise into his microphone before he muted himself and changed the screen to his ending screen, turning to look at me. "Have everything?"</p><p>I smiled softly. "Yeah. Everything's packed up. I just have to get it into the car."</p><p>He messed with my hair as he got to his feet. "I'll do that."</p><p>I stood up and followed him, pausing in the doorway and taking one last look at the office.</p><p>~</p><p>"Welcome home!"</p><p>"Thanks, Alicia."</p><p>I was exhausted as I stepped inside the house I shared with my roommate. The flight from England back home seemed longer despite being the same amount of time. I very quickly sent a message in my group chat on Discord that I was back home, earning a few replies almost instantly. I put my luggage in my room, heading to the kitchen to find that there was already food ready.</p><p>I ate quickly, wanting nothing more than to retreat into my room. I could hear Alicia giggling as I walked by her, yawning for what felt like the thousandth time since I got home. I closed my door and practically threw myself onto my bed. I looked at my phone when it vibrated, seeing a discord message from Phil.</p><p><em>Philza </em>- Hope you made it home safely! Take some time to rest! &lt;3</p><p>I smiled before I sent a quick text back to him.</p><p><em>Redztone </em>- I slept a long time on the flight. I might take a few minutes to get situated and stream.</p><p>I set my phone down, stretching. A heavy sigh pulled itself from my throat, and I was quick to get up so I could set up my computer. I returned to my bed after to grab my phone, seeing several unread messages from both Phil and Wilbur.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. How The SMP Works (Author's Note)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hello! Sorry about the short chapter just before this! I'm trying to get to the SMP point of the story while also filling out the time in between as best as I can. This author's note is going to be a quick run down of how the SMP chapters are going to work.</p><p>As we all know, Technoblade has made it clear that the Sleepy Bois family tree doesn't entirely apply to the SMP. In the Sleepy Bois family tree outside of the SMP, he is one of Phil's sons. The SMP lore doesn't have him as a son, but as Phil's close friend. It's rather easy to fit Amelia into the family tree for the SMP by just making her Phil's wife and the mother of Wilbur, but I wanted to add a different twist to it to add more character to her than just 'Phil's wife'.</p><p>Amelia is the biological mother of TommyInnit, not Wilbur. This makes her Wilbur's step mother, but they still have the strong mother-son bond despite them not being related. She feels Phil's despair at Wilbur's death, but her top priority then becomes her biological son, TommyInnit. Technoblade regards her as a close friend much like how he does Phil, but he isn't aware of her being in the Dream SMP until she and Phil flee from L'Manberg.</p><p>Amelia is part raccoon, much like how Fundy is a fox. This makes Tommy's 'RaccoonInnit' jokes seem more like he's poking fun at his hidden biology rather than making fun of how he hides under Technoblade's house.</p><p>She has wings. This is to compensate for her love of Elytra. Any time it is noted that she is 'flying', she is actually throwing an ender pearl, since Elytra are a taboo item on the SMP. This can also be seen as her using a trident, but I'll be giving her the actual item as a weapon later on in the story, so it's up to you on how you perceive what she's using to travel. This flight rule also applies to Phil.</p><p>Amelia doesn't have an opinion on anything that happens during the Dream SMP storyline. For a brief period of time after her joining the SMP, she takes Tommy's side during a majority of his miniscule battles mostly because of him being her son. She has no real thoughts on what he's fighting for, often disagreeing with his opinions, but fights with him anyway. After Wilbur's death and watching Phil grieve over the lose of his son, Amelia makes it known to a majority of the SMP members that she won't be taking part in anything unless Phil does too, preserving her one life to prevent the inevitability of her death as long as possible in order to not cause Phil more pain.</p><p>To mark the SMP chapters as the SMP chapters and to separate them from the normal 'IRL', (SMP) will be put in the chapter name, along with the entire chapter being <em>italicized </em>in case I decide to add a break into the chapter for something IRL.</p><p>Thank you for reading my story! Hopefully I can continue to write something that intrigues you! Please feel free to comment your ideas or what you like that I've written! I'm always open to help and critique! </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Start Of Something</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>Time in quarantine moved both quickly and slowly. My relationship with Phil had developed to the point that I had adjusted my sleep schedule to his in order to spend his day with him, and we'd often sleep in a voice call together. I'd take part in a lot of Wilbur's random YouTube videos, and I'd do a few one off videos of my own just to keep myself going.</p><p>"Amelia, how do you feel about SMP's with story lines?" Wilbur asked.</p><p>"If you're talking about the Dream SMP," I  leaned back in my chair as I looked at my second monitor, making sure I stayed in frame of my camera. "I think it's alright."</p><p>"Would you want to take part in it?"</p><p>"Isn't that up to Dream?"</p><p>"Dream actually wanted me to ask if you'd join. You'd kind of be a vital part of the event that's coming up soon."</p><p>"How would I be vital?"</p><p>"You'd make the scene that I have in mind a lot more emotional on all sides no matter who's point of view you'd be seen from."</p><p>"So you want to use me for views?"</p><p>"If it makes you feel better, Phil may also be used for views for this particular occurrence."</p><p>I couldn't help but laugh. "You got Phil to agree to joining?"</p><p>"Should I write you into the script now that you know Phil is joining?"</p><p>I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, making me giggle. "Sure, Will. Write me into the script."</p><p>His small noise of triumph made my stream chat go wild. I looked to my second monitor to see a Discord message from both him and Phil. I looked at Wilbur's message first to find an invite to the Dream SMP Discord server. I accepted it and was surprised at how well organized the server was. I opened Phil's message to see him asking if I wanted to play a few games of Rocket League with him.</p><p>"Phil, if you're watching the stream, you can join the call." I looked directly at my webcam, raising an eyebrow. "I don't really know why you ask to join my streams."</p><p>"Maybe because I like to be polite and ask!" Phil's voice yelled in my ear seconds after the sound of him connecting to the call.</p><p>"You don't need to ask! The only person I have ever told to ask before joining my stream is Tommy! I need a slight warning before that loud child screams in my ears!"</p><p>Both Wilbur and Phil laughed.</p><p>~</p><p>"You aren't streaming right now, right?"</p><p>"I'm too tired to stream."</p><p>"Alright. I'm going to give you a quick rundown of your character for the SMP. Are you awake enough for that?"</p><p>"I guess, Will. Could you hurry up, though? I'd like to go to bed."</p><p>"Oh. If you'd like to go to bed already, I can just send you a message or two that you can read over in the morning."</p><p>"Thanks, Will."</p><p>"Sleep tight, Amelia."</p><p>"You, too."</p><p>He ended the call, and I sighed as I laid back in bed. My entire body ached from what I had been doing earlier in the day, so relaxing was difficult. I took a deep breath as I answered the incoming call from Phil. He kept me calm as I cried from the pain, and it wasn't long before he convinced me to lay on my stomach. We both were soon yawning from exhaustion, and I closed my eyes as I fell into the same slumber that stole him from me.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. A Journey Unfolding (SMP)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Materializing on the other side of the Nether Portal was a strange experience. The air felt heavy with grief and rage, almost as if the inhabited area was affected by the emotions of its occupants. Before me stood a man in a green hood, his face covered with a smiling mask. He was silent as he held out a sword and a potion. The glistening purple color of the potion was both new and familiar to me, the bottle of it having a spout that made it nearly impossible to drink. I put the sword on my back as I looked at the man in front of me, hesitating before crushing the potion's bottle in my hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I watched as my hand slowly became transparent, disappearing altogether as the effects of the potion continued up my arm and over the rest of my body. I followed the man silently as he turned and walked away, most likely leading me somewhere that I'd need to be. Traveling in silence overwhelmed me with fear, but the sounds of voices filled the air as we walked down a wooden path. The man hurried to join the group of people gathered below a podium, a young boy standing on top of it, giving a speech that I tuned out. I merged into the crowd with ease because of my invisibility. </em>
  <em>As the boy continued his speech, the quiet sound of sizzling rang in my ears, and the ground began to shake.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The crowd broke out into arguments and fighting, and I hurried away from the scurried movements just as an explosion occurred. My invisibility faded just as I spread my wings out, my arms out stretched toward three of the younger people. All three seemed surprised by my sudden appearance. My wings attacked as a guard as I gathered them closer to me, pain ripping through me as the explosions wounded my wings.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mum?!" Someone screamed over the chaos.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I looked up in time to see a boy dressed in jeans and a red and white t-shirt, a sword in one hand and a shield hooked to the opposite arm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tommy!" I yelled back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I pushed the three I had protected further away from the gaping hole in the ground before rushing toward the boy. I was able to grab onto him by his arm, yanking him toward me to keep him from falling into the hole in the ground. I caught his companion by their shirt collar.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tubbo!" Tommy panicked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I've got him!" I reassured him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tommy held his shield over my head, and the sound of something hitting it made me loose my grip on Tubbo's collar. I was quick to dive forward to grab him, pulling him to solid ground as he cried.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Techno released Withers!" Tommy growled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Go take care of them!" I ordered. "I'll make sure everyone is away from the hole!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He helped Tubbo to his feet, and both boys ran from me. I looked around, briefly spotting a familiar black haori and dark green and white bucket hat. Panic shot through me as I realized who it was, causing me to let out a scream.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I leaped from the side of the hole, my wings flapping hard. I hardly caught a grip on the other side of the hole, struggling to pull myself up. As I got up and onto my feet, I watched as both men in the small room fell to the ground, a sword piercing through the chest of the younger man.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wilbur?!" I could barely hear Tommy's strangled yell over the ran that had began to pour.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I slowly approached the two men. The man in the black haori, his bucket hat hiding his face from view because of the angle I was looking from, had the younger man gathered in his lap, his hand gripping the sword.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Phil?" I whispered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He flinched at my voice, and he looked up at me. He was sobbing hysterically, his bright blue eyes flooding with tears and grief. I fell to my knees in front of him, and he lowered his gaze as I placed my hand over his on the sword. I pulled it free in one quick yank, and Phil was quick to hug the man he had murdered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wilbur!" He cried.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Blood soaked Phil's clothes as I coaxed him into letting go of Wilbur's body, his son long since passed on. Phil's wings, injured much like my own, stretched out as he wailed in pain and sorrow. I furled my wings enough that they were out of the way as I hugged him. His arms were tight around me, and I let him bury his face in my shoulder as his body shook. </em>
  <em>As he calmed down, he moved from my grasp and got to his feet, turning to look at the destruction that I assumed Wilbur had caused.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Phil, Techno's here. He released Withers." I muttered. "We have to help them."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're going to stay out of the way." He replied, looking at me. "Keep the children safe, and don't run head on into a fight you can't handle."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We both rushed out of the small room, running into the chaos side by side.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A Real Reunion (SMP)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>As the chaos died down and the Withers were killed, I looked around at the mess that had been made. Several of the people were injured, the armor they wore heavily damaged. My raccoon ears, more of a genetic trait than anything, twitched. My tail flicked slightly as my son ran toward me, a bright smile on his bloodied face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're actually here!" He yelled, throwing his arms around me and slightly knocking me off balance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, Tommy. I'm here." I pat his back softly. "Can you let go of me now?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He began to excitedly tell the rest of the gathered people who I was, proudly saying I was his mother. My ears laid back against my head as a deep blush colored my cheeks, and I looked to my side when someone stood beside me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What a reunion." Phil mumbled, his uninjured wing outstretched behind us.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He still sported blood on his clothes, though I wasn't sure if it was just Wilbur's blood anymore. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side, his wing curling around me. I gave a small smile to him as I laid my head against his shoulder, looking over the destruction and broken community.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>~</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good morning, Redz!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good morning, Tubbo. You can call me Amelia."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't think that's okay. You're Tommy's mum after all."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I giggled under my breath, messing with Tubbo's hair as I walked by him. He was on his knees, laying down wooden planks as an effort to rebuild his destroyed community. He had been made president only minutes before Wilbur had blown up L'Manberg, the place he and everyone else in the area had called home. Phil was standing with his back to me, his injured wing bandaged much like my own were. He jumped slightly when I touched his shoulder, revealing that he had been focusing on a clipboard in his hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You got up rather early this morning." I giggled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I wanted to get straight to rebuilding." He answered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You managed to get out of the bed without waking me up. I'm impressed."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He chuckled as I stood on the tips of my toes, giving me a brief kiss. "The bunker is almost completely sound proof. Any noise I made went unheard by your super hearing."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't have super hearing." I huffed. "My hearing is only slightly better than the average human's."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So you aren't like Fundy and can hear a mouse scampering around in the bushes?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Fundy?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Phil chuckled as I tilted my head at the name. "Our grandson. I met him a bit ago today."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We have a grandson?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wilbur had a son with a salmon."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How does that make sense?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're a half-raccoon with avian wings, and you're asking how a fox from a human and salmon makes sense?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Touché." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He handed the clipboard to Tubbo. "I'll take you to meet him. He should be on the docks not too far from here with Ghostbur."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Who the hell is Ghostbur?" I was growing more confused by the minute.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ghostbur is Wilbur's ghost. He's not exactly the same as Wilbur, though. I'd recommend that you don't bring up anything that would upset him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Phil held his arm up, letting me loop my own around his, and we started walking toward the docks he was talking about.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How do your wings feel?" He asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They still hurt." I muttered, instinctively flexing my wings and flinching.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'll take a look at them when we go back home. It looks like there's a bit of blood on the bandages."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Considering I used them as a shield for myself and three others, I'm surprised I still even have my wings."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So it was you that protected Fundy, Nikki, and Ranboo? Fundy told me he wasn't sure who saved him, but that someone had practically appeared in front of him and kept him, Ranboo, and Nikki out of harm's way when the explosions were happening."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Approaching the docks brought a wave of grief over me. At the end of the dock was a young half-fox boy, a fishing rod in his hands as he sat on the edge of the docks. Behind him was a semi-transparent man. He wore clothes that resembled Wilbur's, lacking only Wilbur's long dark trench coat that he had almost always been fond of. His feet weren't touching the ground, and he seemed to be somewhat afraid of the water.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hello, Fundy!" Phil called.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The fox boy's ears perked up as he looked toward us. "Grandpa!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He hurried to his feet, setting the fishing rod down and sprinting down the docks toward us. I stepped to the side just as Fundy slammed into Phil, the small fox embracing the larger bird man.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Fundy, this is Redzstone. She's your father's step-mother." Phil said, motioning to me as the fox boy continued to hug him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Grandma!" Fundy turned on me in an instant and hugged me, making me laugh.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hello! It's nice to meet you." I giggled, patting his back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're the person who saved me!" He yelled as he looked up at me. "You're also just like me!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He pointed to my ears, and I smiled. "I'm half-raccoon."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I noticed the ghostly man slowly approaching us as if he was scared to. Fundy stepped to the side as the man got closer, his head low as he hovered in front of me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ghostbur, right?" I questioned, tilting my head slightly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"H-Hi, Mum." Ghostbur muttered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I felt uncomfortable looking at the ghost of my step-son. I looked at Phil as he stood beside me, his arm around my torso.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How have you been, Ghostbur? Adjusting to your new life well?" He asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I-I've been alright." Ghostbur replied. "Water scares me. Rain is the worst."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fundy took my hand and gently pulled, pointing toward the end of the docks. "Come fish with me!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not much of a fisherman, Fundy." I gave him a sheepish smile. "Phil's more into fishing than I am."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His ears laid back against his head, and he looked as if he was going to cry. I almost immediately panicked and agreed to fishing, letting him pull me down the docks. He handed me a fishing rod that was kept neatly in a chest for anyone to use, and we sat down side by side. My shoes skimmed over the water while Fundy's swung ever so slightly. Phil sat down beside me, his own fishing rod in his hand, and I smiled when I noticed that his shoes dipped under the water by half an inch. I looked at Fundy as he laid his head on my shoulder, and I smiled as I unfurled my wing enough to lay it over his back protectively, being careful to not open the healing wounds. Phil's wing, thanks to his larger wing span, draped over both of us, his bandages peeling. </em>
  <em>Ghostbur sat a good foot away from us, his legs crossed as he stared out over the water.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>~</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Where have you been all day?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I went fishing with Phil, Fundy, and Ghostbur. I didn't think I'd need to tell my son what I'm doing."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm Vice President. I'd like to keep an eye on what everyone's up to since we've had more than enough traitors among us."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tommy, relax. I've been here for all of three days. I have absolutely no reason to betray my son's nation."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tommy stomped his foot and folded his arms across his chest like I had just told him he couldn't have a cookie. "I don't trust just your word."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm your mother, Tommy. If I ever did betray you, I wouldn't blow up the place you live. I'd kill you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I stepped around him, and I hissed in pain when he grabbed onto my wing to stop me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tommy, let go of me." I growled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You just confessed to plotting a murder against me." He snapped.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I said that I'd kill you if I betrayed you. I'm not planning on actually doing it. Now let go before you injure my wing more than it already is!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His grip only tightened, and I struggled further. I could hear the panicked yell of Phil calling my name, and he rushed across the still unstable wooden platform that he and Tubbo were working on to get to me and Tommy. He had the look of an angered father as he grabbed Tommy's wrist. From the face Tommy made, Phil's grip was tight enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to hurt him severely.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Let go of your mother's wing." He snapped.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tommy's grip was gone within a second, and he yanked his hand free from Phil's grasp. Phil glared at him for a few moments before he guided me away, taking me directly to the house that he had built for us. It had very little decorating inside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Let me check your wings." Phil whispered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I stood still while he carefully peeled away the layers of bandages on both of my wings, hearing him sigh in relief.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He didn't do any damage." He muttered. "I'll put some medicine on them before I put new bandages, alright?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay." I glanced at my wings to see that the wounds were healing better than I thought.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was gentle as he touched my wings, a quality to Phil that had always drawn me toward him. I glanced over my shoulder at him, moving my wing out of the way of my view. His blue eyes were dull, and he looked as though he could emotionally break at any second. </em>
  <em>He stepped away from me to put the bandages and medicine away. He stood at a small counter space, his back to me and his shoulders hunched. I watched as he furled his wings enough to make them vanish, something he only ever did in front of me and his close friends.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You ask everyone how they are but avoid answering when they ask you." I whispered. "How are you feeling about everything that's happened?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How am I feeling about having to murder my son because of how deranged his mind became while trying to protect his friends and his nation? How am I feeling while I rebuild the place that my son destroyed so it would go down with him?" Phil chuckled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I sighed, furling my wings and making them vanish as I walked over to him. His entire body stiffened as I hugged him from behind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You don't have to hide your emotions around me, Phil." I muttered. "You know I wouldn't say anything if you cried."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What good would it do you to see me broken and crying?" He laid his hand on my arm. "The last time I was emotional in front of you before murdering my son, you acted as though I had a limb amputated and treated me like I needed extra care."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I couldn't help but giggle. "You're my person, Phil. I have to make sure you're okay."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I could hear the smile in his voice. "How is it that you've had so much happen to you, but you have the biggest heart?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I could ask the same to you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He shimmied around until he was facing me, returning my hug. "I want to go and make sure Techno is alright."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can go and find him." I muttered, burying my face in his shirt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tommy would notice if you disappear."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not if I go at night."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He sighed. "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it, am I?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nope!" I gave him a bright smile as I looked up at him, wagging my tail. "I'm a night panda, after all!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He sighed as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Leave tonight. Take supplies."</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chilly Adventure (SMP)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The moon soon started to rise, and I watched as the people of L'Manberg began to retreat to their homes. Phil waved to Tubbo, taking my hand and guiding me away to our house. The atmosphere radiating from him changed as he shut the front door. I watched as he moved through the house with ease, grabbing a backpack that sat haphazardly on a chair. He filled the backpack with several different things. Once he was satisfied with packing it, he zipped it shut and looked at me. </em>
  <em>I was surprised when he took his haori off, handing it out to me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wont they be suspicious if you aren't wearing this?" I asked quietly, taking it and putting it on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I have a spare." He replied without hesitation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He proceeded to pull the second haori out of the chest he kept his clothes in. The ends of it were tattered and torn as he pulled it on. I took the backpack when he handed it to me, and he chuckled at my face of discomfort as my wings appeared. I gave them a careful flap, and the backpack fitted itself between my wings.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know what terrain Techno ended up in." Phil said. "Please be careful while you're gone. Take shelter if it's too difficult to fly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will. I've survived this long, Phil. I think I know how to make it through natural disasters if I have to." I giggled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He rolled his eyes before pulling me into a hug, sliding his hand under the backpack as my wings vanished. I giggled as he lightly kissed my neck, following my jawline to my lips and peppering small kisses along the way. He pressed his lips to mine for a brief minute.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Tell Techno I said hi." He muttered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Get going before I talk you out of it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I laughed as I walked to the door, crushing an invisibility potion in my hand as I pulled it open and stepped outside. Fundy and Tubbo were both lingering outside of their homes, chattering back and forth. I was as silent as I could possibly be while on the wooden path, and I started running as soon as my foot hit grass. I ran up a mountain, looking back over L'Manberg. I could see Phil's figure standing in the window of our house. I watched as Fundy and Tubbo retreated into their houses, and I took a deep breath and started my journey to wherever Techno had fled to, my invisibility potion wearing off.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As monsters began crowding around while the moon continued to raise into the sky, I flapped my wings hard to get me into the air. I looked around to see if there was any indication of where Technoblade could've gone. I noticed that there was a thick layer of snow across a shallow lake, and I knew that it must have been untouched territory because none of the L'Manberg citizens had spoken of snow. I very easily flew over the monsters toward the snow, spotting faint tracks in the layers of white fluff.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After only a few minutes of flying, it began to snow. I immediately landed on the ground, furling my wings enough to make them vanish. I pulled Phil's haori tight around me as I saw my breath. The faint smell of his cologne lingered on it, bringing a small amount of comfort to me. I took the backpack off, and I crouched down to put it on the ground to rummage through it. I pulled out a flashlight, flicking it on and quickly checking my surroundings. I spotted something move out of the flashlight's illumination, and I trembled slightly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is someone there?" I called out, my voice shaking.</em>
</p><p>~</p><p>I had to keep myself composed as Techno made a small oinking noise. "Techno! Don't break the immersion!"</p><p>"You're one to talk! I've been told by the others that you can't stop laughing during serious moments!"</p><p>"I can't take Tommy seriously when he's all flustered while he's screaming!"</p><p>Techno continued making the pig noises, causing me to burst into laughter.</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>"Hello?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fear washed over me when I got no response. I made my wings appear, readying myself to flee if I needed to.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Amelia?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The voice was somewhat familiar, and I stared at the man that stepped into the light of the flashlight. He was wearing the outfit of a king, a white collared cape falling from his shoulders and a crown haphazardly placed on his head. His face was hidden behind a mask, the top half behind a pig mask.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Techno?" I questioned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He hesitated before lifting the mask up to reveal his black scleral eyes and white pupils, the colors slowly inverting as he smiled. "Yo!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Techno!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He laughed as I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck as I hugged him. I flicked the flashlight off when he held up a lantern.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What are you doing all the way out here?" He asked. "I thought you were apart of L'Manberg now."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Phil and I were worried about you, and he can't disappear without being noticed. I came on my own because I don't have any responsibilities there right now." I replied.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You two were worried about me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We saw that everyone was going against you at the festival! We were worried you'd gotten hurt."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm perfectly fine. I've gone into retirement. I don't want to cause any more trouble after watching Wilbur die for nothing."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No more bloodshed?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Only blood I spill now are the monsters that come out at night. It subdues the thoughts that I've told you about before, but they always come back."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The same thoughts I have?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, where have you been staying? There's no way in hell you've been staying out in the snow! You used to complain so much during the winter."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I have a small house not too far from here. We can go there to get out of the cold, if you'd like. Your wings are shivering."</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Three Simple Words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I sat back from my computer as my stream ended. I had been playing on the Dream SMP server for a total of three hours, and I was exhausted. I noticed that Phil was streaming, so I opened his stream, deciding to mess with him. I had to keep myself from laughing as the text to speech message I sent played out loud.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Have I ever told you I'm terrified of butterbees, Phil?</b>
  </em>
</p><p>I could see his facial expression change as he realized what I had sent. "Butterbees? Amelia, are you okay?"</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>I will be when Butterbees cease to exist.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"What the fuck is a butterbee? Can you explain that to me?"</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Combination of both butterflies and bees, Phil.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're afraid of both butterflies and bees?"</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Yes, Phil.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"I can understand bees, but why butterflies?"</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>They can fly, Phil.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"So can a majority of other bugs. Why are you afraid of butterflies and not like, I don't know, mosquitoes?"</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>I can smack a mosquito dead and not think twice about it. I'd feel bad if I killed a butterfly.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>Phil started struggling to keep a straight face as he took a long drink from his water bottle. His chat started going wild over debating if butterflies were scary or not.</p><p>"Look at what you've done to my chat, Amelia!" Phil laughed.</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Looks normal to me.</b>
  </em>
</p><p>He groaned and hid his face in his hands. "I swear to god. I can't go one stream without having some baked conversation."</p><p>I had to hold back my laughter as I called him on Discord, muting his stream since I knew I'd have a delay on it. He answered almost immediately, and I could see the annoyance in his eyes.</p><p>"Please tell me this is some sort of joke, and you're just pulling a Wilbur." Phil begged.</p><p>"Oh, I wish I was pulling a Wilbur." I replied. "I actually do have a fear of butterflies."</p><p>"Explain this to me in better detail."</p><p>"I don't like bugs landing on me."</p><p>"Right."</p><p>"Butterflies and ladybugs have a habit of randomly landing on me."</p><p>"So why are you terrified of butterflies and not ladybugs?"</p><p>"Ladybugs will go away when I shoo them off. Butterflies linger."</p><p>"Can you explain to me why I love you?"</p><p>I was going to reply but paused, a deep blush coating my face. "Phil?"</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"You're live."</p><p>"And?"</p><p>"Do you want to think about what you just told me?"</p><p>I stared at his stream while I watched his facial expression went from thoughtful to panicked, but then his face went completely blank.</p><p>"What about it?" He asked.</p><p>"It doesn't bother you?"</p><p>"No. Why would it? We've been dating for a while now. I don't think I really need to worry about displaying my affection towards you online."</p><p>I picked up a pen and started messing with it. "C-Can you say it again?"</p><p>His laughter made me blush harder, and I watched on his stream as he covered his mouth with his hand. The slight pink tint to his cheeks made me smile.</p><p>"I love you." He mumbled, running his hand through his hair.</p><p>I couldn't help but giggle. "I love you, too."</p><p>He sighed. "Can I go back to playing the game?"</p><p>"I could be entertainment for you while you play." I muttered. "Unless you don't want that."</p><p>"It's not that I don't want to be distracted by your cute babbling." He replied. "It's more that I need to actually focus on the game and my chat, and you'd take all the attention away."</p><p>"Don't I always steal your attention, though?"</p><p>"Yes, and I've been neglecting my children because of you."</p><p>"Well, if I'm making you neglect your children, then I guess I'll leave the call and just banter in your chat."</p><p>"I'm sorry, Love."</p><p>"No need to apologize. I'll just call you later."</p><p>"I love you."</p><p>"Love you, too."</p><p>I ended the call, and I smiled at the sight of him hiding his face behind his hands, turning the stream's volume on in time to hear him groan. I lifted up a small shot glass, pouring a mixture of alcohol and coke into it. I held it toward my computer as if toasting to Phil.</p><p>"I'll love you until I stop breathing."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. A Frightening Discovery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Amelia</b>
  </em>
</p><p>"Redz! Wilbur keeps making fun of me!"</p><p>"Well, Tommy, what did you do to him?"</p><p>"I didn't do anything!"</p><p>"If you take the past into account, nearly every time you come running to me about Wilbur, you've done something to make him angry."</p><p>"But I did absolutely nothing!"</p><p>"Give some form of proof that you did nothing, and then I'll believe you."</p><p>Tommy huffed, causing me to smile as I took a long drink from my water bottle. I had been streaming one of my more casual games, taking a break from Minecraft, when he has suddenly joined the call. I looked at my door when it suddenly opened, revealing a very flustered Alicia. I muted myself and put my stream on the intermission screen. She waited until I moved my headset to uncover an ear.</p><p>"What's up?" I asked.</p><p>"There was a knock on the front door, and when I looked through the peep hole, no one was there." She explained.</p><p>"Did you open the door and look outside?"</p><p>"No! I'm too much of a chicken to do that."</p><p>I sighed before I took my headset off entirely, getting to my feet and stretching. "Fine. Let's go check outside."</p><p>I stepped past her, and I could hear her feeble attempts to try and stop me. She followed me as I walked to the front door, and I checked through the peep hole before I opened the door. Alicia hovered behind me like she was afraid of the door being open. I looked to the ground to see an envelope laying on our welcome mat. I leaned down and picked it up, looking it over before looking outside and slamming the door shut. I locked the deadbolt, doorknob, and latch before I stepped away from it.</p><p>"What is that?" Alicia asked when she noticed the envelope in my hand.</p><p>"No clue." I replied. "I'm going to end my stream."</p><p>I looked over the envelope as I walked to my room, sitting at my desk as I put my headset on. I put the envelope down as I unmuted my microphone, switching stream scenes with ease.</p><p>"Alright! I'm going to have to end this stream a little early! I'm sorry that I couldn't stick around longer, but I've got some sudden issues to deal with. Don't leave your redstone running in your base chunks, and I'll see you on the flip side! Redz out!"</p><p>I gave a salute before I switched to my ending scene, and I grabbed the envelope. I hesitantly called Phil's phone, and it took a few minutes before he answered.</p><p>"Hello?" He asked.</p><p>"Hey, Phil. Are you busy?" I put my phone on speaker and set it down on my desk.</p><p>"I was just going to take a shower and make dinner. Why?"</p><p>"So I was just streaming."</p><p>"I know. I was watching."</p><p>"Alicia came in my room and said someone knocked on the door but no one was there when she peeked outside."</p><p>"Oh?"</p><p>"There was an envelope on the welcome mat, and I'm a little scared to open it."</p><p>"Are all of the doors that lead directly into your house locked?"</p><p>"The front door is. I don't know if the back door is."</p><p>"I'm going to take a shower. Make sure every door is locked, and you two stay away from the windows."</p><p>"Okay. I'll probably sleep in the same room as Alicia tonight."</p><p>As I spoke, Alicia stood in the doorway, her pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other. I motioned to the bed and watched her throw herself onto it.</p><p>"Alright. I'll call you back when I'm done doing everything, okay? Just check the doors and relax."</p><p>"Take your time." I stared at the envelope.</p><p>"Send pictures of the envelope before and after you open it."</p><p>"I will."</p><p>"Stay safe, Love."</p><p>"I'll try. Love you, Phil."</p><p>"Love you, too."</p><p>I hung up, and I took a picture of the envelope. Alicia sat up on my bed as I ripped the envelope open, pulling out a folded piece of paper. I hesitated before I opened it, sighing and rolling my eyes as I took a picture of it. I sent both pictures to Phil as Alicia took the paper.</p><p>"<em>Leave the Brit or get slit</em>." She muttered. "Is that some kind of death threat?"</p><p>"Seems so." I replied, taking the paper and folding it back up before putting it back into the envelope.</p><p>"Are we going to have to move?"</p><p>"Not yet. If it escalates, yes."</p><p>I hesitated before I sent both pictures to Phil. When he didn't immediately reply, I sent the images to Wilbur as a secondary precaution. I got an instant response.</p><p><em>Wilbur </em>- What the hell is that?</p><p><em>Redz </em>- A death threat note thing left at my front door.</p><p><em>Wilbur </em>- Does Phil know? Please tell me you aren't keeping it from him.</p><p><em>Redz </em>- He knows I got an envelope. I sent him the pictures I sent you, but he's taking a shower right now, so he hasn't seen them yet.</p><p><em>Wilbur </em>- This is really serious, Amelia.</p><p><em>Redz </em>- It's only a note.</p><p>I knew I was going to get yelled at as soon as Wilbur called me. I hesitated before I answered the call, putting him on speaker.</p><p>"Before you say anything, you're on speaker. Alicia's in my room with me." I told him.</p><p>"Hello, Alicia." Wilbur said almost immediately.</p><p>"Hi!" Alicia replied.</p><p>"Please tell me that you didn't just tell me that it's only a note." Wilbur begged.</p><p>"It is only a note, Will." I tossed the envelope onto my desk.</p><p>"Do I really need to go to America and strangle you?"</p><p>I couldn't help but laugh. "You wouldn't spend the money to come here just to kill me."</p><p>I could hear him struggling to keep himself from laughing. I tossed my phone at Alicia as I got to my feet.</p><p>"Wilbur, have fun talking to Alicia while I go check the back door!" I said.</p><p>I could hear them both chatting as I crept through the house, checking each corner before continuing. It felt like a horror game as I navigated through the darkened rooms, heading directly to the back door. The lock on the doorknob was locked, but I locked the deadbolt and did the latch as an extra measure. I hurried back to my room to find Alicia giggling as Wilbur told one of his many goofy stories.</p><p>"Oh! Phil called." Alicia muttered.</p><p>"Did you answer?" I asked.</p><p>"Yeah. I told him you were making sure the doors were locked, so he said he'd call you back."</p><p>"I'll give you Wilbur's Discord so you can text him or whatever if you give me my phone back now."</p><p>She immediately said goodbye to Wilbur and ended the call, handing me my phone. I pulled up the Discord app and showed it to her, and she was quick to add him.</p><p> </p>
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